The Kenya Revenue Authority announced on 12 October that it had collected 90.053 billion shillings in customs revenue in September, 965 million above its monthly target.
Collections by the customs and border control department reached 101.1% of a target set at 89.088 billion shillings. They also rose 5.8% from the 85.146 billion recorded in September 2025.
Non-oil revenue provided the main contribution, with 57.199 billion shillings collected against a forecast of 55.422 billion. The overshoot for this component thus amounts to 1.778 billion shillings.
The tax authority attributes the increase to a 25.6% rise in the total value of imports and a 49.2% rise in bulk freight. Fertilisers, iron and steel, palm oil and rice are among the products that supported these flows.
Vehicle imports rose 8.1% and containerised traffic, measured in twenty-foot equivalent units, grew 8.2%. These developments may reflect higher volumes or values, but the KRA did not break down each product's contribution to revenue.
The agency says it is strengthening customs control, risk analysis and advance cargo declaration to speed up the passage of goods and limit revenue losses. However, September data do not make it possible to isolate the effect of prices, exchange rates, volumes and compliance measures on the annual increase.